(2) 4-6 When a gearling (a mechanical clockwork man) shows up at the orphanage in search of an apprentice for his witch mistress, Melanie Gate (an orphan with a talent for ­opening locked things) embarks on the adventure about which she's always dreamed. Once outside the city gates, however, the gearling, newly named Traveler, reveals that the witch is a fiction, that he himself is far more than the mindless automaton he'd initially seemed, and that he needs a human to front for him. Traveler can't remember his past, but he's able to do remarkable feats of magic, and he both teaches Melanie and sets her up to appear to be the magical prodigy Lady Porta the ­Periwinkle, a role Melanie is happy to play. When they run into a real aldermage, however, the man sees through Melanie's impersonation and blackmails her into using her talent to steal a hidden treasure. Strong themes of belonging and identity inform the narrative: Melanie is torn between her drive for excitement and her longing for the warm and cozy friendships she made at the orphanage; Traveler questions how "real" he is and fears being used as a weapon. Both characters' origins have roles to play in a conflict between two magical factions, and Melanie's fellow orphans swoop in for a rescue at just the right moment. Although lighthearted, this inventive fantasy nonetheless plumbs areas of darkness and loss, with those serving as a bracing counterbalance.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) 4-6 Eight-year-old Duck, orphaned as an infant, is the youngest member of a gang of urchins called the Crowns, who forage and pickpocket and scam their way through Avilogne (think medieval France) to survive--barely. In the city of Odierne, the Crowns find temporary shelter in a crumbling, abandoned cathedral watched over by forgotten, brooding, sentient gargoyles, one of whom narrates interspersed chapters. Duck is reluctantly apprenticed to kindly, trusting baker Griselde, who is nearly blind, in order to carry out ruthless gang-leader Gnat's scheme to steal from Griselde on a regular basis. And we're off--into a riveting novel full of tension and action; sensory-rich scenes and settings; and vividly portrayed, believable characters. As the seasons progress, we experience with Duck her moral dilemmas (taking advantage of the generous but vulnerable Griselde feels wrong); crisis of identity as she is torn between being a loyal apprentice and serving the Crowns; growing attachment not just to Griselde but to the wider community to which she now belongs; a terrible, costly betrayal; and an ultimate rescue. There are revelations at the end (one involving the gargoyle narrator), but they're as nuanced as the rest of the novel. Eagar's themes never feel tacked on but instead are thoroughly kneaded into her characters and story.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA In an alternate 1937 in the wake of the Great Rust (a nationwide mystical event resulting in devastating economic consequences), the Roosevelt administration has ushered in a variety of public programs to get the nation back on track. Those with natural magical gifts, known as mages, have been asked to support Mechomancy, the country's industry and technology infrastructure (and thought by many to be superior to the mystical arts more commonly practiced by Black mages). Seventeen-year-old Black mage Laura Ann Langston reluctantly joins the "Bureau of the Arcane's Conservation Corps, Colored Auxiliary" in New York to earn her official mage's license. After she is assigned as apprentice to another Black mage known as the Skylark, the two are thrown into a perilous mission: to take on an ancient dark magic with a history of slaughtering Black mages that is threatening destruction on a massive scale. Fortunately for both of them, Laura Ann's power manifests in ways neither of them could have expected. The events are told from the alternating accounts of the Skylark's official governmental report, her truthful observations, and Laura Ann's first-person account. Plucky queer-Black-mage Laura Ann's voice brings a fresh, at-times humorous perspective to life in 1930s New York (and other dimensions). "Primary sources," including photos from Laura Ann's Brownie camera, bolster her account. Ireland (Dread Nation, rev. 5/18) has confidently merged the historical and the mystical into a fast-paced, complex, and entertaining read.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) YA African American teen Marigold "Mari" Johnson is used to straddling two worlds. While her parents' successful media company has afforded her a life of luxury, she constantly has to prove she's "safe enough" for her private school classmates and "down enough" for her family in District City. Classmate and basketball star Justice understands her more than anyone; but as a "scholarship kid," he still accuses Mari of being clueless when it comes to the stigma he faces as a student--a hardship so prevalent that Justice may transfer. When Justice reveals he's been chosen as part of her parents' fashion internship program, Mari decides to join, too, in an attempt to convince him to stay at their school. Her decision is met with more tension than Mari expected, especially from fellow intern Kara. When the tension culminates in an unexpected revelation, Mari is forced to rethink what privilege truly means, and how to handle it responsibly. In a departure from her books about the crew from The Cove (Turning Point, rev. 3/21, and others), Chase turns her full attention to themes of classism within the Black community. While the first-person narrative doesn't leave much opportunity for readers to become attached to other characters, they are made intimately aware of Mari's thought processes.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) YA Teenage magicians' assistants Wilhelm and Jack find themselves at odds during the 1909 World's Fair in Seattle when their bosses, Teddy and the Enchantress, become bitter rivals. Earnest bookworm Wilhelm is the victim of terrible abuse at the hands of ambitious and conniving Teddy, who exploits Wilhelm's ability to travel short distances by magic, first involving him in a life of bank-robbing and then using him to gain fame. Orphaned Jack's relationship with the Enchantress takes a different form of mistreatment: she'd rescued him when he was younger and manipulates his emotions to make him feel obligated to her forever, preventing him from living a life of his own. When Jack and Wilhelm fall in love, they must decide what they are willing to risk for a future together. Palpable chemistry between the two main characters drives the plot, and a diverse cast of secondary characters adds humor and zest. Most impressive are the contrasting layers of villainy depicted in Teddy and the Enchantress: one an obvious brute, and the other more nuanced in her cruelty. Fans of historical fiction, fantasy, and slow-burn romance will find Jack and Wilhelm's story truly...magical.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by B Geneva. This Dragons in a Bag sequel alternates between Jaxon, Bag's protagonist, and Kavita, sister of Jaxon's best friend, Vikram. After she steals a dragon from Jaxon, Kavita has a problem: her dragon won't stop growing. She soon learns that there's a gate that will get the dragon back to the realm of magic--but the gate is open for only a short time. Meanwhile, Jaxon and Vikram look for Kavita so they can get the dragon back. Fast-paced, suspenseful, and entertaining.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Jessie avoids a lonely summer with her relatives by apprenticing with a cantankerous professional dog walker. When a charming novice steals business away from her mentor, Jessie plans retaliation. Lang uses descriptive language to form a multilayered story that not only highlights the responsibilities of pet ownership but also the complexities of growing up, first crushes, and revenge.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA As seventeen-year-old Dessa starts to think about her future, her family's nomadic lifestyle feels less appealing. The aspiring painter contends with self-doubt when her art school applications are rejected, but an apprenticeship with a Santa Fe artist offers an opportunity to define herself as an artist and as an individual. Spieller offers a fresh take on the coming-of-age novel with her debut.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Sage isn't very ladylike--not marriage material--but her powers of observation are outstanding. Working as a matchmaker's apprentice, Sage finds herself in romantic entanglements as well as political ones when she's recruited as a military spy. In Beaty's political fantasy, a complex snarl of alliances set the tale's stage, and well-wrought espionage tradecraft powers the clever plot twists.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Benjamin Hummel. In 1891, during Benjamin Harrison's presidency, the President's House (later renamed the White House) was wired for electricity by Thomas Edison's nineteen-year-old apprentice Ike Hoover, who ultimately stayed on the job for forty-two years. Rather than a biography, this is informative but pedestrian historical fiction, with invented dialogue and caricaturish sepia illustrations. End matter includes notes on the historical characters. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) 4-6 Aventurine is a young dragon with a brave--and impulsive--spirit. She escapes her suffocating family cave only to drink magic hot chocolate that turns her human. As a girl, Aventurine finds her true passion apprenticing for a chocolatier. The sensory elements of this unique fantasy are well realized, from what it feels like to develop human muscles to the lush richness of hot chocolate.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) YA This conclusion to the Last Apprentice spinoff trilogy (A New Darkness; The Dark Army) alternates between the viewpoints of spook Tom Ward and not-quite-alive witch assassin Grimalkin as the long-foreshadowed conflict with the Kobalos comes to a head. The plot meanders, particularly in the second half. Nevertheless, series fans will find the usual gore, and characters who aren't what they seem keep readers on their toes.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Wordsmith's apprentice Letta was born into a world destroyed by "the Melting." She distributes leader John Noa's ever-diminishing lists of permitted words to the citizens of Ark (Noa's bastion of civilization)...until Letta uncovers Noa's plan to silence the citizenry altogether. Forde offers timely explorations of environmental concerns and freedom of speech, with fully realized characters whose stories intertwine tantalizingly.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) 4-6 Despite coming from a long line of famous supervillains, twelve-year-old Victor is "not the good kind of bad kid. [He's] the bad kind of good kid." To avoid total familial shame, Victor's parents apprentice him to a (disgraced) supervillain called The Smear. Told with a mix of text and comic strips, this new series blends humor with sly cynicism toward the superhero genre.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Dave Phillips. Nosewise, wizard Merlin's eager dog, narrates this tale about magic, Fae, and the legendary Sword in the Stone. Nosewise loyally attends Merlin's magic lessons for apprentice Morgana, so this dog knows more than the usual canine tricks. When Merlin is kidnapped by Fae, Nosewise leaps to the rescue (with help from young Arthur). Humor and action dominate this lively middle-grade take on the legend.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Carmer and Grit series. Magician's assistant Carmer and one-winged fairy princess Grit team up to win a magic competition and to stop the Mechanist, a masked illusionist, from using enslaved fairy magic in his act. But first they must learn to trust each other. Despite some contrived motivations, the story's intricate steampunk elements and nature-based fairy magic will appeal to fantasy fans.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 In a prequel to The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Peregrine is proud of her Lakti identity: strength, courage, and natural superiority over the Bamarre who serve them. But when the fairy Halina divulges that Perry is actually a Bamarre, she questions everything she knows to be true. Perry's moving transformation brings into sharp focus the part that ignorance plays in racism.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) 4-6 In this sequel to Wandmaker, Henry, his sister Brianna, and his friend Serena train with other apprentices to be Wandmakers in a magical castle. They must master tough lessons, dangerous spells, and their own hormones to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with the evil Malachai. This quick-paced magical-school story's cast diversity unfortunately doesn't move far past stereotypes.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) 4-6 Master Diplexito and Mr. Scant series. English schoolboy Oliver Diplexito (The Thief's Apprentice) and his mentor-butler Mr. Scant (a.k.a. the elusive miscreant Ruminating Claw) travel the globe in search of Mr. Scant's missing niece. Along the way, they uncover a conspiracy involving secret criminal societies, kidnappings, and a murderous plot against China's emperor. Despite standard-issue characters and plotting, stereotypes are largely avoided; series fans should enjoy the duo's continued adventures.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Welsh-Romani girl Bethan is raped and her non-Romani friend Martyn brutally beaten by the chieftan's son and four friends. To save Martyn and avenge the assault, wise woman Gran proposes a shocking spell requiring five blood sacrifices. Bethan's slow recovery is portrayed with sensitivity, and her righteous desire for retribution is tempered with an awareness of what she needs to heal her own soul.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017